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AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE)
ACTION: Notice of Preferred Alternatives
SUMMARY: DOE's Final Waste Management Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS) identified preferred alternatives
for disposal of low-level waste (LLW) and mixed low-level waste (MLLW) as
regional disposal at two or three sites to be selected from six candidate sites.
(As used here and in the WM PEIS, "regional disposal" refers to using
only a few disposal sites for a much larger number of waste generating sites.)
The six candidate sites were: the Hanford Site in Washington, the Idaho National
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), the Los Alamos National
Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the Oak Ridge
Reservation (ORR) in Tennessee, and the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South
Carolina. As committed to in the WM PEIS, this Notice identifies the specific
sites the Department prefers for regional disposal of LLW and MLLW.
For the management of LLW analyzed in the WM PEIS, DOE prefers regional
disposal at Hanford and NTS. In addition, consistent with current practice, LLW
disposal operations at LANL, ORR, INEEL and SRS would continue, to the extent
practicable. LANL and ORR would continue disposal of LLW generated on-site.
INEEL and SRS would continue to dispose of LLW generated on-site or by the Naval
Nuclear Propulsion Program.
For the management of MLLW analyzed in the WM PEIS, the Department prefers
regional disposal at Hanford and NTS.
DOE will issue a Record of Decision for LLW and MLLW disposal no sooner than
30 days after publication of this Notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Copies of the Final WM PEIS and this
Notice are available in DOE public reading rooms and selected libraries located
across the United States; the WM PEIS also is available on the internet at www.osti.gov/bridge  (select "Advanced
Search"; go to the box labeled "Select Field" and scroll down to
"Identifying Number," then key in "DOE/EIS-0200-F"). A list
of the public reading rooms can be accessed on the internet at http://www.em.doe.gov/em30/. To request
copies of the WM PEIS, this Notice, or a list of the reading rooms and public
libraries, contact: The Center for Environmental Management Information, P.O.
Box 23769, Washington, DC 20026-3769, phone number 1-800-736-3282 (in
Washington, D.C., 202-863-5084).
For further information on the WM PEIS, or this Notice, contact:
Ms. Karen Guevara, WM PEIS Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy,
Office of Environmental Management, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874,
301-903-4981.
For general information on DOE's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
process, contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and
Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environment, Safety and
Health, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0119, 202-586-4600,
or leave a message at 1-800-472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
DOE analyzed alternatives for low-level waste (LLW) and mixed low-level waste
(MLLW) treatment and disposal in the Final Waste Management Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0200) (WM PEIS) (Chapters 7 and 6,
respectively). DOE prepared the WM PEIS under the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., and issued the Final WM PEIS in May
1997.
For LLW and MLLW treatment and disposal, the Final WM PEIS identified
preferred alternatives as required under Council on Environmental Quality
regulations implementing NEPA, in accordance with criteria established (after
considering public comments) in Section 1.7.3 of the Final WM PEIS. For LLW and
MLLW treatment, the Final WM PEIS identified specific site preferences.
However, for LLW and MLLW disposal, the Final WM PEIS did not identify
specific site preferences. As a result, DOE is issuing this Notice of Preferred
Alternatives to identify specific LLW and MLLW disposal site preferences.
Neither this Notice of Preferred Alternatives nor the subsequent Record of
Decision will address or limit treatment or disposal of DOE waste at commercial
facilities; nor will either affect individual, site-specific cleanup decisions
on where to dispose of remediation wastes that are not in the waste management
program. The Record of Decision for LLW and MLLW will name both treatment and
disposal sites, whereas the Notice of Preferred Alternatives focuses only on
disposal sites.
The Final WM PEIS identified DOE's preferred alternative for LLW treatment
as performing minimum treatment (as defined in the WM PEIS) of LLW at all sites
that generate LLW. For MLLW treatment, DOE's preferred alternative is to
regionally treat MLLW at the Hanford Site in Washington, the Idaho National
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), the Oak Ridge Reservation
(ORR) in Tennessee, and the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, or
on-site, consistent with Site Treatment Plans issued under the Federal
Facilities Compliance Act, Pub. L. 102-386.
The Final WM PEIS also identified DOE's preferred alternatives for LLW and
MLLW disposal as regional disposal at two or three disposal sites, to be
selected from the six candidate sites at which DOE currently disposes of LLW or
MLLW: the Hanford Site, INEEL, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New
Mexico, the Nevada Test Site (NTS), ORR, and SRS. This Notice identifies the
specific sites DOE prefers for regional disposal of LLW and MLLW.*
Preferred Alternative for LLW Disposal Sites
DOE's preferred alternative for LLW disposal is to establish regional LLW
disposal at two DOE sites: Hanford and NTS. Specifically, Hanford and NTS would
each dispose of its own LLW on-site, and would receive and dispose of LLW that
is generated and shipped from other sites and meets the waste acceptance
criteria. (Use of the term "regional" would not impose geographical
restrictions on which DOE sites could ship LLW to Hanford or NTS for disposal.)
In addition, disposal operations at INEEL, LANL, ORR, and SRS would continue,
consistent with current practice and to the extent practicable. LANL and ORR
would continue disposal of LLW generated on-site. INEEL and SRS would continue
to dispose of LLW generated on-site or by the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
DOE's current preferred alternative for LLW disposal is a combination of the
preferred LLW disposal alternative identified in the Final WM PEIS (i.e.,
regionalized disposal at two DOE sites—Hanford and NTS) and the Decentralized
Alternative described in the Final WM PEIS (on-site disposal of on-site
generated LLW—INEEL, LANL, ORR, and SRS).
Preferred Alternative for MLLW Disposal Sites
The Department's preferred alternative for MLLW disposal is to establish
regional MLLW disposal operations at two DOE sites: Hanford and NTS.
Specifically, Hanford and NTS would each dispose of its own MLLW on-site, and
would receive and dispose of MLLW generated and shipped by other sites,
consistent with permit conditions and other applicable requirements. Therefore,
DOE's current preferred alternative for MLLW disposal is the preferred MLLW
disposal alternative identified in the Final WM PEIS.
_____________________________
*After the Final WM PEIS was issued in
May 1997, DOE issued “Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure.” In that
document, DOE provided estimates of waste volumes that would result from
the planned operations and accelerated cleanup processes at DOE sites.
Because some of the estimates differed from those provided in the WM PEIS,
DOE examined the LLW and MLLW volumes to determine if the updated volume
estimates constitute significant new information relevant to environmental
concerns that would warrant preparation of a supplemental EIS or a new
PEIS. This examination extended only to LLW and MLLW volumes, because the
transuranic, hazardous and high-level waste volume estimates did not
change from those analyzed in the Final WM PEIS.
The preferred disposal site alternatives were chosen based on factors
that would not be affected by these changed waste volume estimates. Waste
volume considerations could have influenced the choice of preferred
disposal site alternatives only if the estimated volume of LLW, the
estimated volume of MLLW, or the expected nationwide distribution of waste
had changed dramatically, none of which occurred. Therefore, DOE has
concluded that its decisionmaking process for LLW and MLLW disposal can
proceed without preparing a supplemental EIS or a new PEIS.
Factors Used to Identify Preferred Alternatives for LLW and MLLW Disposal
Sites
In identifying the preferred alternatives announced today, DOE considered the
following factors, among others (a more complete list is presented in Volume I,
Section 1.7.3 of the WM PEIS):
- DOE's mission to safely and efficiently dispose of wastes
- Environmental impacts, including health impacts on workers and the public
- Distribution of waste management facilities in ways that are considered
equitable
- Overall implementation cost
- Flexibility of implementation
- Transportation
In addition to the factors presented in the Final WM PEIS, DOE also
considered the subsequent comments of stakeholders in identifying the preferred
alternatives announced in this Notice. DOE received these comments as part of a
consultative process it has engaged in with States, Tribal governments,
regulators, and other stakeholders since the Final WM PEIS was issued. The
preferred alternatives announced today for LLW and MLLW disposal sites are among
the options discussed with stakeholders, including on the following occasions:
- National Governors' Association's Federal Facilities Compliance Task Force
meetings in March and October 1998
- National Association of Attorneys General's DOE Workgroup meetings in
April and December 1998
- Intersite Discussions on Nuclear Material and Waste convened by the League
of Women Voters Education Fund in June 1998
- Transportation External Coordination Working Group in July 1998 and
January 1999
- LLW Seminar sponsored by the Nevada Citizens' Advisory Board in August
1998
- State and Tribal Government Working Group meetings in October 1998 and
April 1999
- LLW Forum in October 1998
- Environmental Management Advisory Board in October 1998
- National Council of State Legislators Roundtable Discussion in September
1999
Through this process, the Department received comments on factors to consider
in its decisionmaking process. This public input focused on transportation, site
conditions, cost effectiveness, and waste/materials consolidation. In summary,
the comments suggested that DOE should:
- Address urgent risks
- Seek to minimize transportation of nuclear waste and materials
- Pursue consolidation of nuclear waste and materials only as needed to
address risk and to allow for site closures
- Consider each site's suitability and surrounding population in deciding
which sites should receive wastes
- Consider cost effectiveness in deciding which sites should receive waste
- Compensate receiving communities for receiving other sites' wastes
- Continue ongoing discussions with the public about radioactive waste and
material issues, including transportation routes and implementation
Decision Process for LLW and MLLW Disposal Sites
This Notice fulfills a commitment DOE made in the WM PEIS, Volume I, Section
3.7, to announce which specific LLW and MLLW disposal sites it prefers at least
30 days before making decisions on disposal sites. DOE will issue a Record of
Decision for LLW and MLLW treatment and disposal no sooner than 30 days after
publication of this Notice.
Issued in Washington, D.C. this fifth day of December, 1999.
Carolyn L. Huntoon
Assistant Secretary
for Environmental Management
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